Andre:
I’m surprised to hear myself say it, but I was disappointed. Granted, I had high expectations, but even the star-studded line-up of Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Kirby couldn’t quite satisfy me.

First off--I’m digging the new art style for Zelda. They finally found a happy middle-ground between realism and “toon-shading.” However, the presentation itself bordered on god-awful, with some technical difficulties making the game either appear to be broken or Shigeru Miyamoto just a horribly incompetent gamer. But seeing as he’s my God, it clearly had to be the former. Luckily, I’ve been assured by Micah that the game plays near-flawlessly, but still, that demonstration was pretty embarrassing. At any rate, I’m excited to try it--I just wish they had shown more of it, specifically what else new besides controls it brings to the table.
 

As for Donkey Kong and Kirby...they both look neat, but neither really blew my mind. Don’t get me wrong--I love the Donkey Kong Country games and I’m excited to see it come back, but something seemed not quite right about it. But again, I need to play it before I decide.

But of course, the biggest event of the show was the unveiling of the Nintendo 3DS...and honestly, I was underwhelmed. Of course, it didn’t help that most of the system’s details leaked before its release, but I was sure there had to be more to it. Nope. It’s a slightly beefed up DS, with a 3D screen and motion controls. Now, I’m a pretty big believer in 3D--I thought it certainly enhanced the few movies I’ve seen in 3D--but I was honestly expecting Nintendo to have some new, innovative uses for it. But as it was made clear, it’s a gimmick--a cool one--but one that doesn’t actually change the gameplay at all. I’m mostly bummed that the 3D tech wasn’t also applied to the touchscreen. I know Iwata had plenty of excuses for his reason, but I’m still not convinced that it wasn’t simply a cost-cutting measure. But reasons aside, I’m certain having a 3D enabled touchscreen would enable more gameplay possibilities than one without. Something like 3D table tennis, where you would actually bat the ball back by tapping it as it neared the screen--granted, nothing game-changing, but it would make the games seem more interactive.

And even though I’m not one to care much about graphics, I was hoping for more of the 3DS. Granted, we were only shown one game, Kid Icarus, but it was much less of a bump than I was hoping, but right about what I was expecting. It’s just now approaching (if not slightly surpassing) PSP quality. Wii quality this is certainly not, based on what I’ve seen (and let’s not even speak of the rumors of it having 360 or PS3 level graphic fidelity).

Finally--and I know I’m in the minority on this--I was bummed that the Vitality Sensor was a complete no-show. I was hoping Nintendo would at least have something cool to demonstrate after its sudden appearance, but nope--nothing.

Nintendo’s E3 showing was marred by lack of innovation and reliance on its established franchises. On a scale of 1 to 10, it gets a B-.

Wes: Meh.

Micah:

I didn’t even read either of your impressions since I’ve already heard what you guys had to say about the press conference. At this point, my brain is melting from all of the E3 insanity, but I’ll try to stay on topic long enough to assert that this press conference was better than any of Nintendo’s E3 shows in the past five years.

No, there wasn’t really a whole lot of innovation present, but can we really expect that much innovation in this industry anymore? Especially this late in these console’s life cycles, I pretty much assumed we’d be seeing a lot of new entries in established franchises. What I didn’t assume was just how many classic Nintendo franchises would be making an appearance at this year’s E3. Metroid, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Kid Icarus, and uh...Nintendogs were all there, and they all impressed (with the obvious exception of Nintendogs).
 

Although the demonstration of Zelda: Skyward Sword was seriously out of whack, I was still impressed with the game’s art style and the full Wii MotionPlus implementation. Plus, once I actually got my hands on the game, I was anything but let down. Check out my Zelda impressions for more detail, but suffice it to say, the game is shaping up to be something special.

I did wish that there had been a few more gameplay presentations. I could have used one for Metroid: Other M, for sure. Even still, almost every game that they showed off at the press conference was playable on the show floor, Kid Icarus being the notable exception. I suppose I’ll be able to go hands-on with the rest of the games tomorrow, so I’m actually not going to fault Nintendo too much for this one.

Of course, the 3DS made it’s first appearance, and despite the fact that the Kid Icarus trailer really rocked, I still don’t know what to make of the device. I’m not a huge fan of handheld gaming, and I really hate the recent trend of 3D, so I really need to see something special out of the device before I’m sold. Unfortunately, Nintendo seemed committed to revealing as little as possible about the system, including what games they had in development (besides the aforementioned Kid Icarus and Nintendogs). I wouldn’t say that I am exactly excited for the system in particular, but I would say that I will play the hell out of Kid Icarus.

What I really didn’t like about the show, and I suppose I must be the only one, was the massive parade of hot girls that sauntered in with 3DS’s at the end of the show. It just seemed almost a little crass, and definitely did not feel very Nintendo. No, having a girl’s boobs shoved in my face while looking at the 3DS did not make me appreciate the four boring 3D images they showed off any more.

Honestly though, when it’s all said and done, I just appreciated the format that Nintendo adopted this year. There was essentially no talk of sales, absolutely no Cammie Dunaway, and no stupid guests ruining everyone’s lives (RaviDrums, I’m looking at you!). Instead, the focus was mainly on the games, and that’s something I really appreciated.
 

Schuyler:

I have been to a handful of E3s, but I gotta say, Nintendo’s Press Conference this year was one of the more impressive ones I’ve seen. The influx of old characters/franchises was a welcome addition, and my biggest worry about the 3DS was assuaged.

Kick off the meeting with Zelda, just so I’m not stuck waiting. Check. Make the controls be the motion controls I thought of when I first heard it was going to be applied to Zelda: Check. Show me that those controls work...eventually, check (after the conference, that is...all the press seemed to get it right on). Kirby, Kid Icarus, no talk of sales numbers, and showing me 3D working on a console? Check.

I saw Avatar once, so I’m a 3D expert now. The inclusion of it in movies seemed more just for immersion to me, rather than a gameplay element, which is what I felt I got from the new 3DS, besides a whole face-full of boobs. Plus, considering how long developers have had the system, I wasn’t surprised to see just tech demos. Hearing the developer reel of how much they love the system while conveniently leaving out why made sense in that way. If we really saw a huge pile of titles right there, I wouldn’t have believed it. I would say the biggest disappointment of the show is that so many things aren’t coming out for so long, even if we were to take Nintendo at their word (which I’ve been a fan far too long to do).

Also, I couldn’t be disappointed after playing Kirby. This is a Kirby game through and through, moreso than some others I’ve played. If I can fight through that 3 hour line, I’ll be looking forward to Kid Icarus 3DS. If it looked like that in (what do we call these games? faux 3-D?) games before, it’s gonna look crazy with the 3DS’s top screen. And I’m wondering just how the 3-D picture you can take with the 3DS’s camera will look. Call me simple, and say I had low expectations, but I came out of that show feeling pretty happy about the direction Nintendo is taking.

I will say, though, motion sensor technology and a gyroscope with a 3-D screen? They seem incompatible. This is something I doubt will work.
 

Jimmy:
Unlike Andre, coming in to Nintendo’s press conference this year, I didn’t have high expectations; as a matter of fact, I didn’t really know what to expect at all. As it is, I have to say I thought it was a very solid showing.

Sure Nintendo didn’t show any revolutionary games or show us how the Nintendo 3DS will be innovative for gaming, but it looks like their overall lineup is going to be damn fun over the next year or so. I know Mario Sports Mix won’t be a game of the year candidate, but it looks like plain fun. Zelda: Skyward Sword looks like the Zelda game Wii fans were always hoping for. The new Kirby game looks gorgeous and this is coming from a guy who doesn’t care for that particular character. In addition, we’re getting great-looking throwbacks in the form of Goldeneye, Donkey Kong, Kid Icarus, Metroid: Other M, and more.

In terms of actual games, I think this is the most jam-packed showing we’ve seen from Nintendo yet. So how can I not be at least somewhat delighted?

As for the 3DS, the jury is still out on that one, but other than the Virtual Boy, Nintendo’s had a pretty good track record with innovation. I personally can’t wait to get my hands on the thing to try it out.